Woman's thrashing: Two policemen arrested

Chandigarh, March 11 (IANS) Two policemen allegedly involved in thrashing a young woman in full public view in Punjab's Tarn Taran district last week were arrested Monday, a spokesman said here.

"The Punjab Police today (Monday) arrested head constable Devinder Kumar and constable Saraj Singh, who were charged of assaulting a woman in Tarn Taran on date March 3. The arrest has been ordered after receipt of enquiry report that was submitted by Superintendent of Police Ranbir Singh," the spokesman said.

The two have been booked for outraging the modesty of a woman, causing hurt and criminal intimidation.

The young woman was slapped pushed, abused and hit with a baton by policemen in uniform in Punjab's frontier district of Tarn Taran last Sunday (March 3).

Four to five police personnel were caught on camera assaulting the young victim and her father after she reportedly complained to police against some taxi and truck drivers harassing her near a marriage palace in Tarn Taran, 280 km from here.

The incident was recorded by a bystander on his mobile phone Sunday and was aired by TV news channels.

An embarrassed Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had last week ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. Badal directed the Tarn Taran district magistrate to ascertain the causes and circumstances which led to the incident and submit the inquiry report within three weeks.

"This was an unpardonable offence and anyone connected with this grave crime, howsoever influential he may be, would not be spared and brought to book as per the law of the land," he said.

Punjab Director General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini had, last week, suspended two policemen seen in the video.